Yellow!

She's not always going to be small enough to fit into the tire of a tractor at the State Fair!

It's Telethon Time!

When I saw that this weeks theme at I Heart Faces was Photojournalism I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about!

For the past 18 years I have been volunteering one week out of my summer at a Camp for kids with Muscular Dystrophy. These kids mean the world to me. Camp is an amazing opportunity for them to just be kids. We swim, fish, do arts and crafts, have campfires, sing, dance and play sports. Sports is by far my favorite part of camp. Every kid being able to participate regardless of their ability. And everyone having so much fun!

If you've been blessed with healthy children and a healthy family, please consider calling in a donation to your local Muscular Dystrophy Assoc Telethon this weekend. Your money will help pay for things like camp so that these kids can continue to celebrate the "Best Week of the Year!"



The above photo is my entry for this weeks I Heart Faces, but after doing this for 18 years there is no way I could have chosen just one to share with you all!










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I never pass on a chance to talk about bacon...

This week I found a new photo challenge over at It's a Beautiful Life. The challenge this week is things you hate to love. And for me that's bacon. I know it's horrible for me. It's not helping me on my weight loss goals. All sorts of heart damaging fats. Yada Yada Yada. I love bacon.

So, I know I've shared these photos before but you're getting them again because I LOVE bacon.





Head on over to see more things we love to hate! And as always, thanks for visiting! I love reading your comments and visiting your blogs!

It's time to get blogging again...

I just looked at my blog and realized I haven't posted in over a week. I've been in a real funk lately when it comes to my camera. I feel like I learned a lot of new skills and now I've sort of stalled out. I didn't even take one picture all of last week. But it's time to get back into it! So I'm trying to make sure I participate in every photo challenge I can find this week. If I don't take new photos I need to at least get back into looking at the ones I already have!

I did take a few new shots yesterday at the museum. My girls loved the butterfly house and when the bug guy came out with bugs they could actually hold they were over the moon!











Thanks for visiting!! I'm going to try hard to visit everyones blogs again because I know how much it motivates me when I get comments!

3 going on 30...

Isabelle is my first born. She'll be 4 in November. I love her to death but she's a very emotional child. We're never in short supply of tears and or general drama. There's always a reason for her to be sad about something. We're working through it the best we can, but in the meantime I really just want to appreciate and love the smiles when they come. I love this smile.



For more beautiful black and whiteness:



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Retro Preschool...

I can't believe that it was almost a year ago that we were getting Isabelle ready for her first day in preschool! I look back on these pictures now and 12 months seems like a lifetime ago!

Since she doesn't start school until the 13th of Sept this first photo will have to due for this weeks Trendy Treehouse Challenge!





And poor Baby Sophie so badly wanted to go to school with her big sister!



Until she realized she got Mamma all to herself!



I can't wait to see what kind of adventure this years preschool class takes us on!

For More first day of school photos make sure to check out trendy treehouse!

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Anyone who knows me knows that my holy grail photograph is my two girls together. They don't love having their picture taken to begin with but asking them to sit next to each other is like asking Democrats and Republicans to come across the isle and get along. It just doesn't happen. So imagine my shock and joy when Isabelle says to me "Mama, take my picture with Sophie!" and Sophie actually complied! Now here's the real kicker. I don't actually love either one of these photos. They just look so strange and awkward. It's nice to see a little sisterly love, but this isn't who they are on a regular basis. Now if one of them was pulling the other ones hair or stealing her favorite stuffed animal this would be more representitive of our regular day. But the two of them standing with their arms around each other makes me feel like I've been pulled into some bizzaro universe.

So, welcome to bizzaro world. Enjoy your stay!





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Pretty in Pink

There is no shortage of pink in our house. With two little girls there are times when laundry gets sorted by whites, colors and pink. This week the challenge over at RAW(e) is Pink. I chose this one because I love the pink color of the plexiglass wall she is standing in front of. So funky!



For more pink pictures in the raw check out:


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Flowers or Weeds? You decide.

I remember a time when it was just Jeff and I. He's always been a romantic. He would bring me home bouquets of flowers "just because." And I loved him for that.

Three years later I'm still being showered with flowers. But now they're these pretty yellow flowers that grow in the yard. To most people they're just weeds. But when your two year old comes to you with a fist full of them, they're the most beautiful flowers in the world!







And this last one is my pic for Paper Mama's photo challenge flowers. I just love how much she's enjoying that dandilion!

The beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan...

I live in WI and looking at all of the beautiful beach pictures posted over at I Heart Faces is really making me want to vacation somewhere a little more beachy! But for now we'll have to be content to go play in the sand of Lake Michigan.

Will a Storm Trooper fit in a Cozy Coupe?

The answer is yes.

Happy Monday everyone!

Isabelle attempts a macro....

I think this is the first time I am posting not because of a specific photo challenge but just because I really love this picture.

Black and White Wednesday

This is one of Isabelle's best friends. We're so happy we got to hang out with you guys at the zoo yesterday!

Arts and Crafts Challenge

The photo challenge this week over at the Yellow House is Arts and Crafts. I love the texture of these paintbrushes!

Touch up Tues!

This is my first time participating in Touch up Tues. Post processing has always been my achilles tendon. I feel like a kindergardener every time I open LightRoom. Part of it is that my style is very minimal. I want my pictures to look like I didn't have to touch them afterward. But of course I do. Especially now since I'm spending more time shooting in Raw.

Anyhow, I was looking through some older photos and came across this one. Shot in auto mode before I had any clue how to use my camera, it was in serious need of some adjusting. I feel like it's still a little off in color, but a lot better than the original!

SOOC:


And my edit:


For more before and afters, visit Touch up Tues!




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Simplicity Black and White Photo Challenge

I've posted this picture before but it's one of my favorite black and whites!





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Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while!

I wish I could say that I was confident enough in my photo skills to get consistantly good photos every time. But I don't. Most days I'm lucky if I get one or two photos that I truely love and feel proud of. Yesterday was one of those days. Isabelle is not nearly as cooperative with me when it comes to taking pics as Sophie is. So when I get a genuine smile from Isabelle (instead of her quick-take-the-pic-so-I-can-have-a-sucker face) it really makes my day.

Since photography is a hobby that has really taken on a life of its own for me, I need to be reminded sometimes why I got into it in the first place. I want to preserve smiles like this.








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